Yep......me too....VERY bad form to touch feet........drafting is ok.....but do NOT touch my feet......
I have had to KICK the crap out of people to get them off of my feet....

Leave us slow swimmers alone.......

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I shall never misuse Rex Kwon Do
I shall be a champion of freedom and justice

Wasn't me. I was way back. Did you try swimming faster? Probably a good tactic to get your chosen tug boat to giddy-up a bit.

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Those who know do not speak, those who speak, do not know.

Yeah, it can be annoying.

Mind you, trying to get a good draft and see the feet through all the bubbles can be tricky.

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kiwipat

per ardua ad astra

I think you are supposed to pull over and let them by. Don't worry, spring will be here soon.

In Embrun I had one on my feet for quite a while until I got his goggles off.

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Wilfried Heinle

Artificial Intelligence can never beat natural stupidity.

id just kick real hard.

This morning, I was swimming next to a masters class. I heard someone new ask the coach how you pass someone, and he said you should tap them on the feet. I don't know anything about swimming etiquette (except for common sense stuff, like don't splash people in the face or dunk them underwater unless you are an 8 year old boy), but I always thought that was rude. Just wait for an opening, turn on the jets, and pass them.

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What a drag it is getting old. -- Stones

s'funny, in my swim squad we were told to get used to it as it will happen in a race and you need to deal with it. Good way to keep the guy leading honest during 100's.

Got to admit though, in a race I tend to kick a little harder to get away from a "tapper"

in training if someone is rtappin yr feet you should usually let them pass, as they are going faster than you (assuming they left at least 5 secs after you)

I start to swim off course. If they notice they'll move off, if not, I'll give 'em a scenic tour. A little zig-zagging doesn't affect my time too much. I like to swim over to the edge of the pack - generally stay away from others.

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Proud member of FISHTWITCH: doing a bit more than fish exercise now.

Or if your drafting them why not move up onto their hip. You still get as much draft. Face it in open water tri's your feet are going to get touched now and then. Maybe it's your fault for speeding up, slowing down, speeding up, slowing dwon. Maybe it's their fault.

If they do it every stroke then I'd say something.

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Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
Insta

As far as foot touching in the pool goes, here is my two cents from 28 years of competitive swimming experience, mainly in short course pools:

-In the pool: when you are following someone (not just when you catch up) and are ready to pass, touch their foot once gently. This is to let them know that you are going to pass them, which is especially helpful if you are near a wall and this way, they know to flipturn leaving you enough room to flip to the left of them. Also helps if they are doing a stroke like breast of fly so that they can make sure to keep their arms or kick narrow until you are past. (In a lane with a lot of swimmers, it is always good etiguette to flip on the far (left) side of the lane to make room for other swimmers as turns in the pool tend to bunch swimmers up the same way that tight turns do to cyclists. This way you are pushing straight off the wall, too, which is what non-traithlete masters swimmers will want to be doing at their swimmeets).

-I generally avoid swimming with groups where it is popular to make "u-turns" rather than going to the wall. (apologies to Larry!) It disrupts my momentum and often startsd a chain reaction among the people behind, so that everyone starts swimming 15 yards, walking2, swimming 15, etc.

In races--I just don't understand why people do that constant "tap tap tap". Don't they hate it when other people do it to them? If it didn't give me really bad blisters when I run, I'd consider growing my toe nails r eally long!

-DMG

tell them that they hit your foot - you got scared and pee'd.

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What if the Hokey Pokey is what it is all about?

I'm a little sensitive about this subject. A few years ago a guy slowed down, looked back ,and kicked my wife in the head. She thought she was going to black out, but managed to tread water until she got over it. She said she knew she was hitting his feet, but she was hemmed in and didn't feel like she had anywhere to go.

I know most people mean a few hard kicks as just a warning, but the mentality gets a little out of hand sometimes. I swim just under an hour in an Ironman. I am a former water polo player. When I get someone tapping my feet or even tangled in my legs I slow down my kick and move away. It's never a problem.

In the pool, if it's crowded, or we are getting close to the wall. I tap two or three times. I want them to realize it's not incidental contact, and then pass.

These mass starts are getting pretty tough. We are often in places we want to get out of. A little more tolerance would make it a whole lot easier.

I don't get it...why don't you just let them pass you? By touching someone's feet, you're telling them that you'd like to pass. To me, it's annoying when you keep touching someone's feet and they don't let you pass. Hello, I'm faster than you. Deal with it and get out of the way. It's more rude to not take the hint.

In a pool workout the lane order should be fastest person first and so forth. If a person is touching your toes let them pass at the wall and establish a new lane order. In a crowded pool this becomes problematic. S soon as you get into someone's draft you will move up on them. There is 30% savings in energy expenditure when you draft. If everyone in the lane is of comparable ability each swimmer should take a turn at the lead to share the load.

In the open water drafting is a fact of life. Other triathletes WILL hit your toes. Get used to it! My best place to draft, as was mentioned before, is on the hip. When I lock on you cannot leave me. There is calm water and I enjoy the ride.

Go with the flow

DougStern

thankfully it doesn't happen to me where I swim, but during swim team days it was always this little blonde twit (that was alot faster than me) that tapped my foot constantly. Man I hated that!

When I used to swim in HS, if you didn't get the message by having your toes tapped, you'd get the ol' ankle-grab immediately stopping forward progress. Can't really do that to someone once you're over 18…

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king of the road says you move too slow
KING OF THE ROAD SAYS YOU MOVE TOO SLOW

To me the ability to change speeds quickly and drop a toe tapper is the real tool to use. During mass starts I hammer hard for about 200 Meters which usually drops nearly every one. Then I settle into "race pace". The key though is to get in front by a good distance. If you can't do that then expect a good deal of toe tapping, but again a short sprint, and slight direction change will usually loose the tapper. I don't agree at all with the concept that in a race you move out of someone elses way if they are tapping. It's a friggin race and you entered it to get the best possible time you can. Why should you slow down or alter your race plan for someone else? If they are faster than you make them prove it by passing you outside or your draft. Unless of course if you think you might be able to draft of the guy behind you then, I might suggest making him pass.

If you want to draft, as Doug said the place to do it is on the hip. Clean water, you don't annoy the guy and you can see a bit better to make sure you're on course. There is no point in drafting off a slightly faster guy who is swimming off course. The time he may save you can easily be eaten up in a short 50 or 100 yard off course tangent.

When I pass in the pool I usually like to touch the person on the side of their leg. Then there is not doubt to them that you are coming around. toe tapping can easliy be mistaken as you just being a jerk, but a gentle touch around the knee area tell the guy that you are on his side already and coming around.

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I'm just a 10 cent rider on a $2,500.00 Bike